Ash didn't return to Marla's safehouse after completing the beast hunt.
He'd felt the watchers before he even crossed the inner gates of Blackflame City—soft footsteps two blocks behind him, a flicker of movement on rooftops, the faint click of metal on brick.
They were good.
But not good enough.
"Clever little rats," the serpent sneered. "Seems your flames made more noise than you thought."
"Good," Ash muttered. "Let them come."
Luring the Shadows
Instead of going home, Ash vanished into an alley and circled to the city's Old Smithing District, now an abandoned zone of ruined forges and silenced chimneys. No patrols. No citizens. Just cracked stone, rusted machines, and plenty of places to bleed in peace.
He'd already prepared this ground.
In the hours before delivering the beast remains to the guild, Ash had traced runes with ash-dust along broken support beams and set bone-wire snares in tight corridors. His Earth-born tactical training and new flame techniques made for a deadly blend.
He ducked into a shattered forge and crouched behind a collapsed chimney stack, senses on high alert.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Step.
Step.
Step.
Silent but steady.
Three figures entered the forge: robed, masked, and moving like experienced killers. Their movements were coordinated—one took high ground, another crept left, and the third began inspecting Ash's false trail.
"Three-man wedge," Ash whispered. "Classic recon and elimination team."
He moved.
The First Capture
The moment the rear guard passed the forge entrance, Ash yanked a trip-spark wire tight with a flick of his finger.
The rune string snapped, releasing a burst of flame in a tight ring—blinding but non-lethal.
The masked man screamed, staggered back—
And Ash was already there.
He slammed his palm into the man's sternum, discharging a short-range flame pulse that blew the assassin back through a shattered doorframe. Smoke coiled, and Ash dragged the body behind a wall.
"One down," he whispered.
He knelt beside the man and tore the mask off. A young mercenary. No clan brand. Pale skin. Light scars. Mouth gagged with something bitter-smelling.
Ash dug into his belt and pulled out a tiny vial.
Memory-suppressing poison.
"Slaves," the serpent hissed. "Or controlled assets. Someone didn't want them talking."
Ash growled and flicked his fingers. A tiny flame shot down the man's throat. Not enough to burn—just to heat the air.
The man choked.
"Who sent you?"
No answer.
"Why are you tracking me?"
Still nothing.
Ash leaned closer.
"I'm not Feng Yao. And I've burned men stronger than you alive."
The man trembled—then finally croaked a name through gritted teeth.
"...Varrin Yin…"
Ash's eyes narrowed.
Lord Varrin Yin.
The city governor. The head of the clan. The spider in the web.
"So he knows I'm alive."
"Not you," the serpent said. "But he knows someone is hunting. That's why he sent disposable shadows."
Ash looked down at the terrified mercenary and then flicked a single flame spark at his bindings.
"Leave. If I see you again, you won't crawl away."
The Fire Fight
He barely turned when the second man dropped from above, blade aimed at his neck.
Ash ducked, spun, and unleashed a Spiral Flame Pulse like a gunshot.
BANG.
The compressed fire Qi tore through the man's midsection and slammed him into a stone pillar. He crumpled, groaning in agony, his armor half-melted.
Ash didn't give him a second chance.
Another pulse, point-blank, to the chest.
The assassin stopped moving.
Ash Unleashed
The third was smarter.
He didn't approach. Instead, he lit a black smoke bomb and vanished into the cloud. Ash coughed, his vision blurred, but he channeled the Soul Flame to purge his lungs of toxins.
He saw a flicker of movement—
Then dodged left just as a curved blade carved through air.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist, twisted, and pulled the man into a rising knee strike.
The man shouted and flipped backward, tossing knives mid-air.
Ash raised a palm—
FLARE BURST.
A flash of red light exploded from his palm, detonating all four knives mid-flight.
He moved in with silent precision. Elbow to the jaw. Flame-pulse knee to the ribs. Final shot—a point-blank spiral to the spine.
The attacker collapsed.
Ash stood over the body, breath steady, eyes cold.
"Efficient," the serpent finally said. "Brutal. Tactical."
"I misjudged you."
Ash smirked, wiping soot from his cheek.
"You're not the first."
The Serpent's Reflection
Inside his mind, the crimson serpent coiled in thought.
"You act like a man three times your age. You baited them. You laid traps like a warhound. You hunted hunters."
"I was trained to," Ash replied quietly. "In my old life… this was survival."
"And now?"
"Now it's vengeance."
The serpent let out a long, slow hiss.
"Very well, Ash Lockwood. Let this world bear witness."
"I will feed you knowledge. But do not mistake my aid for respect. I am a sovereign flame. I do not serve."
"Good," Ash muttered. "I don't need servants."
"Only weapons."
Aftermath
Ash took the bodies to the forge's rear and left them burning under a broken furnace chimney. The smoke would be blamed on old forges flaring up again—no one would investigate.
By dawn, he returned to Marla.
She stood by the doorway, arms crossed.
"You're late."
"Had company."
She glanced at the scorch marks on his boots.
"More Yin dogs?"
"They barked once. Won't do it again."
She smirked slightly. "You know, you're more dangerous now."
Ash looked at his palm, where the Soul Flame still glowed faintly.
"I'm not dangerous yet," he said.
"But I will be."
End of Chapter 10